Textile materials exbiting enhanced soil-release properties and process for producing the same

Abstract

The invention provides a treated textile material having a finish applied to at least a portion of the surface thereof. The finish comprises at least one particulate component which exhibits a positive surface charge when suspended in an aqueous medium. The invention further provides a process for producing a treated textile material comprising the steps of (a) providing a textile material having a surface, (b) providing a suspension comprising a medium and at least one particulate component, the particulate component exhibiting a positive surface charge when suspended in an aqueous medium, (c) applying the suspension to at least a portion of the surface of the textile material, and (d) heating the textile material to remove the medium from the textile material and produce a finish comprising the particulate component on the surface of the textile material.

1 . An apparel fabric comprising: 
 (a) a knit, woven, or non-woven textile material having a surface, the textile material being comprised of a yarn or plurality of yarns comprising a natural fiber or a combination of natural fibers, and    (b) a finish applied to at least a portion of the surface of the textile material, the finish comprising at least one particulate component which exhibits a positive surface charge when suspended in an aqueous medium,    wherein the fabric exhibits a pH of about 7 or less.    
     
     
         2 . The apparel fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the particulate component is an inorganic particulate selected from the group consisting of alumina, alumina-modified silica, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         3 . The apparel fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the particulate component is present in the finish in an amount of about 0.01 to about 10 wt. % based on the weight of the textile material.  
     
     
         4 . The apparel fabric of  claim 3 , wherein the particulate component is present in the finish in an amount of about 0.1 to about 2 wt. % based on the weight of the textile material.  
     
     
         5 . The apparel fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the particulate component comprises primary particles, and the primary particles have a diameter of about 1 nm to about 1 μm.  
     
     
         6 . The apparel fabric of  claim 5 , wherein the particulate component comprises primary particles, and the primary particles have a diameter of about 5 nm to about 50 nm.  
     
     
         7 . The apparel fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the yarn comprises about 50 wt. % or more of a natural fiber selected from the group consisting of cotton, wool, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The apparel fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the textile material is a knit textile material provided in the form of a sock.  
     
     
         9 . An apparel fabric comprising: 
 (a) a knit textile material having a surface, the knit textile material being comprised of a yarn or plurality of yarns comprising about 50 wt. % or more of a natural fiber selected from the group consisting of cotton, wool, and combinations thereof, and    (b) a finish applied to at least a portion of the surface of the textile material, the finish comprising about 0.01 to about 10 wt. %, based on the weight of the textile material, of particles of an alumina-modified silica,    wherein the fabric exhibits a pH of about 7 or less.    
     
     
         10 . The apparel fabric of  claim 9 , wherein the particles of the alumina-modified silica comprise primary particles, and the primary particles have a diameter of about 5 nm to about 50 nm.  
     
     
         11 . A process for treating an apparel fabric, the process comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing an apparel fabric comprising a knit, woven, or non-woven textile material having a surface, the textile material being comprised of a yarn or plurality of yarns comprising a natural fiber or a combination of natural fibers,    (b) providing a suspension comprising a medium and at least one particulate component, the particulate component exhibiting a positive surface charge when suspended in an aqueous medium and the suspension exhibiting a pH of about 7 or less,    (c) applying the suspension to at least a portion of the surface of the textile material, and    (d) heating the textile material produced in step (c) to substantially dry the textile material and produce a finish comprising the particulate component on the surface of the textile material.    
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 11 , wherein the particulate component is an inorganic particulate component selected from the group consisting of alumina, alumina-modified silica, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 11 , wherein the particulate component is present in the finish in an amount of about 0.01 to about 10 wt. % based on the weight of the textile material.  
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 13 , wherein the particulate component is present in the finish in an amount of about 0.1 to about 2 wt. % based on the weight of the textile material.  
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 11 , wherein the particulate component comprises primary particles, and the primary particles have a diameter of about 1 nm to about 1 μm.  
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 15 , wherein the particulate component comprises primary particles, and the primary particles have a diameter of about 5 nm to about 50 nm.  
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 11 , wherein the yarn of the textile material comprises about 50 wt. % or more of a natural fiber selected from the group consisting of cotton, wool, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 11 , wherein the textile material is heated to a temperature of about 20° C. to about 140° C. during step (c).  
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 18 , wherein the textile material is heated to a temperature of about 35° C. to about 70° C. during step (c).  
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 11 , wherein the textile material is a knit textile material provided in the form of a sock.